Thoughts on the All-Star Game, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, R.A. Dickey, and Tony LaRussa

It cracks me up to no end that two of John Sterling's catchprases -- "The Melkman delivers" and "The Melky Way" -- have become so identified with Melky Cabrera. And the Melkman did indeed deliver Tuesday as the MVP of the All-Star Game. I never expected that he would become the superstar he has, but I was against him being traded for Javier Vazquez from Day One. That was one of the many dumb Brian Cashman moves.

But what's up with Kevin Long feeling the need to justify the Yankees getting rid of Melky by talking about him drinking and being overweight and undisciplined as a Yankee?

“I know Melky stopped drinking completely,” Long said. “That was part of it. I’ve always said the future’s real bright for Melky, and I couldn’t be happier for where he is now. But when you lose your focus, and your lose the ability to stay in shape. “This game is a grind. To play every day, you have to be in phenomenal condition. You have to be sold out to the profession. I think in Atlanta, (Cabrera’s struggles) peaked, and after that season was over, he re-committed.’’

If Melky was so out of control, as Long is claiming, then where were the Yankees during this? At any rate, these comments are unnecessary and offensive. Let it go, Kevin.

Anyhow, Melky getting the MVP was one of two highlights for me -- the other was seeing R.A. Dickey pitch at all. I was bummed not just that the game was essentially over in the first inning, but with Tony LaRussa holding Dickey until the sixth inning. So much for his "promise" that he would pitch Dickey in the first half of the game.

It ticks me off that Dickey didn't start -- if Buster Posey is such a great catcher, then he should be able to figure out the knuckleball. LaRussa, as usual, has to be Mr. Controlling and go against what everybody else wants. Dickey's success is the top story in MLB this year, but instead of having him start the game, he doesn't get to pitch until the sixth inning, after 10 p.m., with an 8-0 score and most of America having already turned off the game. Way to go, LaRussa!

Squawker Jon and I were at Sparks Steakhouse on Monday to celebrate his birthday, so we missed the Robinson Cano Home Run Derby kerfuffle. It just goes to show, though, that Middle America has an undeserved reputation for niceness. You boo a player like he was caught running a dogfighting ring because he didn't pick Billy Butler for the HR Derby team, even though at the time Cano had to hand in his picks, Butler was not an All-Star? Ridiculous.

* * *

One other note regarding the Reggie Jackson brouhaha. Joe Torre weighed in on the subject, saying that "Reggie is still a Yankee," and that "they just asked him to step aside a while." Huh? Who is Torre to decide who is a Yankee or not? Not only did Torre disgrace the pinstripes between the way he left, and the nasty book he wrote, but he is supposed to be on MLB's payroll. He's not on the Yankee payroll anymore. It's not up for him to decide who is a Yankee or not. In fact, he's supposed to be objective in his current job. So much for that.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Javier Vazquez Can Pitch Well in New York After All

On Tuesday night, Javier Vazquez pitched seven shutout innings as the Marlins beat the Mets, 6-0.

In 2010, Vazquez won a total of three games in New York all season.

In his two stints as a Yankee, Vazquez managed as many as six shutout innings while pitching in New York only once - and that was also at Citi Field, on May 21, 2010.

It was the second time this month that Vazquez pitched well in New York. On August 1, Vazquez allowed one run in seven innings at Citi Field, getting a no-decision in a 7-3 Marlins win.

After an awful first half, Vazquez has found his form, with quality starts in 11 of his last 12 appearances.

If the stingy Marlins cut Vazquez loose after the season, would the Mets give him a look if the price were right? Yes, Vazquez was terrible last year in the Bronx, but he does have years of success in the NL East.

***

By the way, Squawker Lisa, here are Vazquez's numbers with the Yankees in 2010, which caused him to be run out of town, compared with A.J. Burnett's numbers this season:

Vazquez: ERA 5.32; WHIP 1.40; W-L 10-10
Burnett: ERA 5.31; WHIP 1.44; W-L 9-11

Those numbers look pretty similar, whether or not you are smoking the objective pipe.

Who's having a worse season -- Javier Vazquez or A.J. Burnett?

Sorry I haven't written lately -- I was in the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI Tube the other day, and I'm still trying to get over it! Anyhow, congrats to the Yankees on clinching a postseason spot. It was funny trying to figure out what those celebratory hats said. I joked that the writing said, "No, we don't know how A.J. Burnett got his black eye, either!"

Anyhow, the era of good feeling after the Yankees clinched a spot in the playoffs was pretty much ruined not long after Javier Vazquez took the mound last night. Hopefully, it will be the last start we will ever see of Javy in pinstripes. Come to think of it, he'd better not be on the postseason at all. I usually like being proven correct, but I take no pleasure in being right on thinking Vazquez would fail in the Bronx again. (I also wrote I'd rather have Carol Burnett than A.J. Burnett as a Yankee, a post that made me look foolish in 2009, but not quite so foolish this year! And Squawker Jon and I were right about A-Rod hitting 30 homers this season.)

The New York Post's Joel Sherman wrote today that Javy "just might be the worst pitcher in Yankee history (thought before A.J. Burnett' s contract is over, well, watch out). Vazquez certainly is the worst ever given a second chance by the organization."

Alas, how quickly Carl Pavano is forgotten! $40 million for four years and nine wins has to be the worst. And I would also argue that A.J. Burnett is having an even worse year than Javy is. Vazquez is 10-10, with a 5.32 ERA. Brutal numbers, to be sure, but he was only supposed to be the #4 starter. Granted, he is making $10.5 million this year, but my expectations for him were so low, that I'm surprised he actually has 10 wins!

On the other hand, the Yankees are paying Burnett $16.5 million a year to...lead the league in hit batsmen? And the funny thing is that Joel Sherman argued just the other day that:

Never have the Yankees let anyone pitch this many innings (180 2/3) and be this wretched....

Burnett has failed to reach five innings 10 times now this season, which is three more than anyone in the majors. We are talking about failing to reach in the minimum requirement to earn a win in nearly one-third of his starts – and the Yankees are, of course, 0-10 in those games, including a 7-5 loss in Toronto last night. If you are looking for places in which they might have secured a few more wins to secure the best record in the AL begin with Burnett.

Instead, Burnett has lost 15 games all by his lonesome. That is the most losses by a Yankee since Melido Perez had 16 in 1992. But those Yankees weren’t very good. Perez actually lost 16 games with a 2.87 ERA. The last time a Yankee lost 15 games on a winning team was when Catfish Hunter went 17-15 for the 1976 AL champs. Hunter threw 298 2/3 innings and 21 complete games. He failed to go five innings just twice all year or one fewer time than he pitched 11 or more innings.

 Yikes!

And I'm still wondering about A.J.'s black eye. Is this going to be like Dave Eiland's leave of absence, where we'll probably never hear the story? In Burnett's case, it's even more curious. How could nobody have leaked what happened by now? It's a question for the ages.

Anyhow, I think A.J.'s year is worse than Javy, but your mileage may differ. Tell me what you think.

A-Rod, Roger Clemens, Javy Vazquez, and the latest in Yankeeland

Now that the Yankees have gone 13-0 without Alex Rodriguez this year, are we going to hear about how the Yankees really don't need him on the team? Just wondering.

Two summers ago, I had a similar calf injury to A-Rod's, so I know what he's feeling. Not fun!

I've been busy over the past few days with real-life obligations, so I haven't had much time to squawk. But I did watch some of the games this weekend. I feel sorry for Javier Vazquez -- he's been upfront about his velocity being down, but nobody in Yankeeland seems to be paying attention. Maybe now that Ivan Nova's up in the majors, the Yanks can skip a Javy start, and see what the heck is wrong with him.

Oh, and there's the whole Roger Clemens indictment. I know I probably shouldn't revel in other's misfortunes, but I can't help but snicker over him. He thought he was so clever in demanding to squawk before Congress and spin his phony tale. So much for that! The only thing that would have made his indictment more entertaining is if Suzyn Waldman had announced the charges against him!

Speaking of reveling in other's misfortunes, how about that whole Jay Mariotti story?

Anyhow, hopefully this week I'll get to write more. And maybe Squawker Jon will recover soon from the loss of Rod Barajas. But what do our readers think of what's been going on in Yankeeland?

Yankees' great win will be forgotten today, thanks to K-Rod's arrest

Last night's Yankees-Rangers game had a real playoff feel to it, from the sellout attendance to the atmosphere to even the celebs (George and Laura Bush) in the house. And it was one of the most exciting Yankee wins this year. To be down five runs to Cliff Lee, and still come back and win the game, was pretty impressive.

I was hoping Javier Vazquez would have a good start -- I even implored Squawker Jon to start him in his fantasy league, to no avail. So much for that dopey notion on my part. Eight hits and six runs in 4.1 innings isn't exact a quality start! My friend Steve of "Was Watching" was so irate during the game, that he wrote a parody song during the game about Javy!)

But despite Marcus Thames' eighth-inning homer and ninth-inning go-ahead hit, despite the Yankee bullpen keeping the Yanks in the game, and despite Derek Jeter's game-tying hit, the biggest story in the New York media today is what happened in Flushing, where Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly attacking his own father-in-law.

I'm no different -- when I saw news on the K-Rod meltdown on Facebook, I turned on the Mets postgame instead of basking in the Yankees win. To SNY's credit, they didn't sugarcoat any of it, spending a long time talking of nothing else than what K-Rod allegedly did (and yeah, I don't think YES would have been quite so candid if it were one of their own.) Bob Ojeda was very angry, wondering if Jerry Manuel has "lost control of the club, or does he just have a rogue guy with a bad temper on his hands who likes to beat up old people? I don't know, but this is the same guy that pushed Randy Niemann around..." Just in time for today's AARP Day and Senior Stroll at Citi Field!

I think it's about time for the Mets' front office to pull that emergency chute hatch, and send Jerry Manuel on his merry way (maybe with a beer or two, like that flight attendant took!) What, exactly, is Manuel good at, other than playing kissy face with the media? His in-game strategies are terrible (why didn't he pitch K-Rod in the eighth last night, as Rodriguez apparently wanted him to do?), his clubhouse is a complete mess, and now this debacle. We now know that there is a police holding cell in Citi Field, thanks to the team's closer being arrested. Oh joy.


It may be too late to salvage the Mets' season, but isn't a new face worth a try? Look at how Buck Showalter has been able to shake things up in Baltimore, leading them to an 8-1 record so far. From Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record:

"Buck stood in the middle of the clubhouse, clipboard in hand, and calmly read the names of every Class AA and Class AAA prospect dying for promotions to the major league roster. The Orioles, who’d long since tuned out Dave Trembley and interim replacement Juan Samuel, listened in shock to Showalter’s thinly veiled warning: No one’s safe on a team with a .345 winning percentage."

Then again, how would a threat work in Metsland, when disasters like Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo get to take up roster spots, no matter what, because of the money they make? When Fred Wilpon is making "Annie" references about keeping Omar Minaya, and bragging about the great job Jeff Wilpon is doing. If only the tough but fair criticisms that broadcaster Bob Ojeda has given time and time again were something the Mets' front office would actually listen to, this team would be a lot better off.

Anyhow, the purpose of the Subway Squawkers blog is for Jon and I to rib each other about our teams -- and each other. But even this Yankee fan thinks that the Met fans deserve better. I felt the same way about seeing the then-pathetic Orioles this summer after Squawker Jon and I went to Camden Yards to see them against the Yanks and Mets. Now, with Buck Showalter, the O's - and their fans - have something to look forward to. If only Met fans had something to be hopeful over.


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Curtis Granderson is something sort of grandish as the Yankees win

The Grandy Man Can! Curtis Granderson has hit three homers in the past two days, and his two-run homer Monday night, combined with Javier Vazquez's great pitching, helped the Yankees win.

I'm glad to see that Granderson is finally hitting - he's .427 in his last six games. The center fielder is an easy guy to root for, between his engaging personality, and all the charity work that he does. Grandy is also a fellow blogger, so how could I not like him!

Granderson was one of Brian Cashman's big acquisitions this winter; Javier Vazquez was the other one. And Javy struggled so much in the first month of the year that he looked like Cashman's Folly. But since then, his ERA has dropped over five runs, and he's pitched more like the Atlanta Braves ace he was last year, and not the hurler Yankee fans remember from October 2004.


Anyhow, Granderson and Vazquez were the two big heroes of the night. But strangely enough, the New York Post didn't see fit to mention either of them on today's back page. Instead, with their cynical "Who Needs 'Em!" headline, Joba Chamberlain and Alex Rodriguez are lumped together as the forces of evil in Yankeeland. See why I complain about the media!

Maybe the Post is just mad that four hours after a headline on a George King blog entry claimed that "Girardi says he is sticking with Joba," Girardi went to Dave Robertson and Boone Logan instead!

As for Joba, I think Girardi is doing the right thing in trying something different. If Joba name were Joe Blow, and not Joba Chamberlain, he would have been demoted a long time ago.


A-Rod, of course, did not hit #600, but he did appear to have a lot of Yankee fans in the house cheering him on. I squawked a lot yesterday about Yankee attendance. As Squawker reader Peggy noted, the Indians have the worst attendance in the majors, averaging around 16K a game. For what it's worth, last night's attendance was 27,224, which ranks third for Cleveland's home game attendance, after Opening Day and Stephen Strasburg's second major league game.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Columnist: Javier Vazquez's win doesn't really count because it was against Baltimore

Javier Vazquez had a terrific game in front of the hometown Yankee crowd last night, and got his first Yankee win as a starter since August 2004. But one sports columnist doesn't think he deserves much credit for the victory.

"Keep Javy's performance in perspective: Javier Vazquez looked dominant against the Orioles on Tuesday -- but it's the Orioles" is the headline of Ian O'Connor's ESPN New York's piece on Vazquez. There are lots of times I think O'Connor does a good job in both keeping things in perspective, and writing about the Yankees with passion. Can't say I'm very crazy about this piece, though.

O'Connor takes pains to denigrate Javy's seven inning, four-hit, one-run performance because it was against the lowly O's:

Javy came. Javy saw.

Javy conquered a sorry excuse for a baseball team.

That's the fly ball in the ointment, the annoying burst of rain on this latest Yankees parade.

The Orioles are so dreadful, so painful on the eyes, it was impossible to pronounce Vazquez cured of whatever ills had prevented him from pitching the way he's paid $11.5 million to pitch.

Well, given that Vazquez hasn't pitched well at home at all this year as a starter, and hasn't pitched very well - period - as a Yankee until a few weeks ago, I think it's huge progress. This isn't a AA start, after all. The Orioles might be a lousy team, but you know what? A win is a win. And if Vazquez had lost again at home against the Orioles, things would be a heck of a lot worse for him right now.

What gets me about O'Connor's approach here, repeatedly denigrating and minimizing this victory, is that he never does the flip side. What about the fact that it took a throwing error by Miguel Tejada for the Yankees to take the lead? Going into last night's game, O's pitcher Brian Matusz had a 2-5 record, with a 5.78 ERA. Yet he only allowed one earned run against the vaunted Yankee lineup. Maybe we should denigrate the Bombers' offense for doing so little. Sheesh.

O'Connor continues with the negative tone:

This isn't meant to curb anyone's enthusiasm as a nod to the famous face in the Stadium crowd, Larry David. This is only meant to add perspective to a 24/7 sports culture often starving for it.

"When he's on," Curtis Granderson said of Vazquez, "he can be one of the best pitchers in the game."

Yeah, and if Ollie Perez ever had the chance to be "on" against the Orioles, he'd be Sandy Koufax, too.

Ouch! Why so harsh, dude! Some "perspective"!

As I've written over and over, I was against Brian Cashman trading for Javy in the first place. That being said, I hate the fans booing Vazquez. And I have to give the pitcher credit for hanging in there, and for improving a lot over the past month. Javy's pitching is better, his body language is better, and his confidence is better. Do I still worry about his pitching? Or course. But the more he can have outings last night, the more he can get the fans off his back, and the more he can have some breathing space.

Yet O'Connor keeps on downplaying the win, suggesting it's only the Orioles, saying "Baltimore didn't have the stomach for a fight." But if Vazquez had faced Baltimore earlier in the year, he probably would have been destroyed by them then. This time around, he was dominant. It's not just the opposition - it's him.

O'Connor ends his piece with this straw man notion: "...the angle that anyone can be cured of anything in the presence of these Orioles? That one's for the Birds."

Who said anything about Vazquez being "cured"? All that's being said by the Yankees, most other sportswriters, and many fans, is that Vazquez has improved his game since the disastrous first month of the year. And that him winning his first home start this year was a big step. Does that mean he's out of the water yet? No, but least he can see the shoreline.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Some thoughts on the Yankees-Tigers doubleheader

I have to say I'm finding these New York-Detroit games really bittersweet. Seeing our beloved former Yankee wearing Tiger gear. Watching him play for the other team against the Yankees. Checking out his new hairstyle. Yes, it's really hard seeing Phil Coke on the other side!

Lots happened in yesterday's day-night doubleheader. Here are a few thoughts:

* Javier Vazquez looked like the Javy of early 2004 on the Yankees, the one who was actually good. Everything about him seemed better, especially his body language. It was a hard-luck loss, but hopefully he can build on his very good pitching performance.

* And what can I say about Phil Hughes, other than to call him "ace"! He's really been phenomenal this year - 5-0, with a 1.38 ERA. I think we might see a really special season this year out of him.

* Tim Redding, really? I don't just remember how abysmal he was for the Yankees in 2005 against the Red Sox; I also remember his 3-6, 5.10 record for the Mets last year. Is Brian Cashman determined to get the band back together, and re-sign every former Yankee there is?

* I loved seeing Eminem and Jay-Z in the broadcast booth to promote their stadium concerts. Best part was when Michael Kay said he owed his physique to working out to "Lose Yourself," and Eminem joked that the song didn't work!


* You know what I liked about Jay-Z? That he was actually paying attention to what was happening in the game while being interviewed! He even seemed a little nervous about the game! Hey, he paid more attention than Billy Beane did for Dallas Braden's perfect game!

* After the Yankees knocked around Phil Coke last night, they faced a pitcher named Alfredo Figaro. I started doing the whole "Figaro" opera song, and asked Squawker Jon where I would know that from in pop culture. He said Bugs Bunny's "The Rabbit of Seville." A YouTube search showed that the song was also featured in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, as well as Woody Woodpecker. That's pretty much how I know most high culture references - from old school cartoons!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Who is to blame for the Javier Vazquez mess?

So the Yankees announced Monday that Javier Vazquez would not be making his upcoming start in Boston this weekend. And they're trying to figure out what to do to fix him. It irks me about how much of a pass Brian Cashman is getting from the media for trading for him in the first place, when plenty of people, including me and many of our readers, knew that it was a bad idea at the time.

Cashman told this to MLB.com Monday:

"I worry that his velocity is down and I worry that his fastball command is not there," Cashman said. "Those are usually things where something's going on, but he said, 'No.' He said right now, he feels [health] is not the issue." 

Gee, Cash, maybe Javy isn't being straight up with you about his health. I know that would be a big shock and all. It's not like he lied about being injured the first time around or anything. Oh, wait.

Cashman also said:

"I believe that when you start to struggle, especially in a bigger market, you can be your own worst enemy because you want something so bad," Cashman said. "All of a sudden, you get on the wrong side of the mountain -- it's hard to stop. It's up to us to find ways to stop and regroup. That's what we're trying to do.

"When you're struggling like this in a market like this, it's louder and harder. He's not running from it. You can see that it bothers him. It hurts. He wants success, he wants to do right by everybody. He's fighting himself while he's doing it."

How the heck did Cashman not see that this would happen? You have a pitcher who has a history of excelling with lousy teams, and having his worst years with contending teams. He is also the same person who didn't tell the truth about being injured the first time around with the Yankees. Oh, and he's also poorly remembered by fans for giving up that grand slam to Johnny Damon in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.

So how in the world did Cashman think that Vazquez would excel in Yankeeland the second time around? Granted, I hate the Bomber fans booing at him. But geez, why couldn't Cashman think that this was going to happen?


Heck, I knew this would be the result at the time. As I said upon hearing the news that Vazquez would be a Yankee again, if he's the answer, then I don't want to know the question! Here's some of what I wrote on December 22, 2009, the day of the trade:

Brian Cashman appears to be systematically getting rid of the postseason stars/good personality guys/players able to handle New York on this team, like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and now Melky Cabrera. It's one thing to trade Cabrera and get a pitcher in return - I can understand that. I just can't understand giving Vazquez another try. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

We all know how important it is for a player to be able to handle New York. It's why Johnny Damon was worth every penny of that $52 million contract - he's a winner. Hideki Matsui hit a grand slam in his first game as a Yankee and became a fan favorite - and MVP of the World Series. Javier Vazquez, not so much.

Granted, while I was right about Javy, I've been wrong plenty of times before. For example, I was completely against signing A.J. Burnett - I even wrote that I'd rather have Carol Burnett than A.J. Burnett as a Yankee. But he proved me wrong, and has become on of my favorite Yankees.


I'm not exactly thrilled to be right this time around. And I hope Javier Vazquez ends up proving me wrong. He's not a bad person - Vazquez is no Kevin Brown, personality-wise, and I've heard Javy is personally a very good guy. But he should never been put in this position to fail - again - as a Yankee. And Cashman ought to get more blame than he's been getting for acquiring him in the first place.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Home Run Javy and Something Sort of Groinish ruin Yankees' day

I was at the doctor's office this afternoon for an appointment, so I followed the Yankee game on my phone. Let's just put it this way - I wasn't very pleased to see Andruw Jones listed on the phone - twice - hitting a homer against Javier Vazquez. Oh, and Home Run Javy was out of the game before I even got home! It sounded like there were sarcastic cheers mixed in with the boos, at least judging from what I heard on the radio. I taped the game, so I'll listen to the replay later, after my stomach settles.

Then there's Curtis Granderson's groin injury - just heard Joe Girardi say Grandy was likely going on the DL. The center fielder got hurt when I was at OTB wagering on he Kentucky Derby (more on the bet in a sec). Poor Grandy. So I missed hearing if John Sterling declared that it was Something Sort of Groinish! (If you like that joke, I came up with it. If you don't, blame Squawker Jon!)

I did get to hear John Sterling get excited over Nick Swisher's home run to give the Yanks the lead. But I missed A.J. Pierzynski putting the White Sox ahead again.

I'm sure I missed a lot today (then again, maybe not. The Yanks did lose, after all!) I did watch the last few innings at home - what struck me was how unexcited the crowd was, even after A-Rod's hit. There seemed to be little excitement, and no hope that the Yanks would win.

To top it all off, just watched the highlight of 1) Johnny Damon hitting a walkoff homer to win the game for the Tigers, 2) Him tossing his batting helmet in the air the way A-Rod does, and 3) Getting a pie in the face. Why, oh why, isn't he a Yankee anymore?

At least the Phillies killed the Mets today, so Squawker Jon's trash talk will be subdued.

* * *

I know pretty much nothing about horse racing , but I usually make a bet on a horse or two during the Kentucky Derby, just to keep things interesting. Obviously, I wasn't going to bet for Joe Torre's horse in the race.  I went to OTB today (I was literally the only female - and one of the few people under 50 - in the place.) I was in full rube mode as I chose my wagers solely based on the horse's name, the way I usually do. So these are the horsies I dug deep to put down a whole $2 each on, and the reasons why:

* Ice Box - For some reason, Squawker Jon loves that term. I think it reminds him of the "Honeymooners," his all-time favorite show, or something. 10-1 odds when I placed my wager.

* American Lion - I love lions - they snooze 22 hours a day, and every so often feast on some unwary prey. Talk about living the dream! 30-1 odds.

* Dean's Kitten - I don't know who Dean is, but "kitten" is in the name, so as a cat person, that's good enough for me. 50-1 odds.

* Mission Impazible - Squawker Jon thought this was the dumbest name on the list. I plunked down $2, just to tick him off. 20-1 odds.

If Homeboykris, Torre's horse, somehow does well, my miserable day will be complete (I already found out that an endoscopy is in my near future!) Too bad I also couldn't do a bet against the horse!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Javier Vazquez -- There must be a pony in here somewhere

The New York Times was wrong. Everybody doesn't hate A-Rod -- they hate Javy! I think this afternoon was the most I've seen Yankee fans enraged this year, between Javier Vazquez's bad pitching, Joe Girardi's indecisiveness about intentionally walking Kendry Morales, Scott Kazmir getting away with hitting Robinson Cano, Marcus Thames' bad outfield play, and a whole bunch of other shenanigans I'm trying to forget right now. But mostly Javy.

As soon as I saw Morales' home run flying in the air, I turned off the TV in disgust and left the house.

And from the stricken look on Girardi's face, he looked like he had had enough as well. He did the whole "head in his hands" thing, kind of like what Squawker Jon did when Luis Castillo dropped the popup in the Subway Series last year.

Besides that Girardi/Marte debacle, fans were flipping out over Javier Vazquez turning in another bad performance. And because I wrote that it's a bad idea for fans to boo him, several of our readers squawked to me about Javy. One reader complained:

The most hated Yankee? Oh that is simple! Javy Vazquez for his sad-sack puppy dog eyes and inept pitching in the AL Major League....

Cheering for him is not going to make him pitch better. If he is booed, then maybe they will ship him off to Double A. Whether he is booed or not, the NY Media is going to really give it to him.

  Another reader griped:

So, Lisa what do you think of Havy now? He is what he was in 2004, lousy. He's good as a NL pitcher. No matter what the media or Cashman say, he can't cut it in the AL. He deserves to be booed, cuz he stinks! I disagree with you, just because he's I Yankee doesn't mean I can't boo him or have to like him. There are Family members I don't like and he ain't even family.

Heh -that family line is pretty funny!

So how bad are things today? I checked out ESPN NY columnist Wallace Matthews's take on the game for comic relief, and found myself nodding in agreement with a whole bunch of his points. Why did you pick this time to write a decent column, Wally? Thanks for nothing!
 
The only bright side is that Squawker Jon pitched Javy in two of his fantasy leagues. Snicker.

Anyhow, later on in the day, when I was channeling my inner A.J. Burnett, asking "why, why, why" Brian Cashman brought Javy back, I think I figured it out.

Cash watched pitchers like Jose Contreras and Jeff Weaver struggle under Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemyre, then leave New York and get rings for other teams.

Cashman has said that Vazquez struggled because of injury. But my theory, based on almost pure speculation, with a side order of hunches thrown in, is that Cashman also figured that the Joe/Mel brain trust held him back. And that now that Vazquez is healthy, and Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland would be working with him, that everything would be okey-dokey.

Two problems with Cashman's faith in Javy: I'm not exactly Joe's biggest fan, but he did ask Javy repeatedly in the second half of 2004 if he were injured, as did Mel. And Vazquez insisted he was A-OK, when he wasn't. As much as I'd like to blame Joe for that, I can't.

The second problem is that if Vazquez were too terrified/prideful/whatever to tell the truth the first time around, what made Cashman think that he could be trusted again, even with a new regime? Now the stakes are even higher for Vazquez. Is it beyond the realm of possibility that he might have some injury RIGHT NOW and be playing through it? Given his decreased velocity, the thought has crossed my mind.

I hope Javy turns it around, but yes, I'm getting a little concerned. This could all become a vicious cycle and turn very ugly at the Stadium this weekend.

I don't know what to think right now. Maybe I need to just give Squawker Jon a call and ask how his fantasy pitching stats went today!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why did John Sterling make a "Thrilla by Godzilla" call for Hideki Matsui?

Let me get this straight: some Yankee fans boo Javier Vazquez, their own team's starting pitcher, after just 14 pitches in Wednesday's start. Then some very vocal Yankee fans cheer Hideki Matsui for hitting a home run to (briefly) put the Angels ahead over the Yankees in Thursday's game. And Yankee radio broadcaster John Sterling was so inspired by Matsui's homer that he unleashed his old "Thrilla by Godzilla" call. What's wrong with this picture?

Look, I thought it was very cool for Yankee fans to give Matsui such a warm welcome back in Tuesday's home opener. And I can understand even cheering for him in other at-bats, although I would have personally stopped after the first one of the game. (When Squawker Jon and I saw Jason Giambi against the Yankees last year, I cheered him for the first at-bat, and treated him like any other player on the A's after that.)

But to me, cheering wildly - or at all, for that matter - when Matsui hits a home run against the Yankees, especially when it gave the Angels a 1-0 lead, is a completely different deal. And it's quite the contrast, of course, to the boos Javy received from some of his own fanbase.

And what's the deal with Sterling's call? Was he so in love with his "A Thrilla by Godzilla" phrase that he thought it was okay to unleash it when it was against the Bombers? I don't get it.

As for Javier Vazquez, the designated Yankee scapegoat, I didn't want Vazquez as a Yankee. But I also know that booing him is counterproductive. It's not that he's showing lack of effort - he just hasn't gotten it together in his two starts. And fans have to ask themselves this question: Is booing him going to make him pitch better, or worse?

New York Post columnist Joel Sherman wrote about the situation in his Hardball blog, noting that Javy should get inspiration from his third baseman:

Vazquez really can use Rodriguez as a symbol. A-Rod struck out three times yesterday and maybe there were some boos here and there, but not anything like he would have received without the powerhouse 2009 postseason in conjunction with a Yankee championship.

I draw a different lesson than this anecdote than Sherman does. What I get from this is that there is a small portion of the Yankees fanbase that is so spoiled and ungrateful, they would boo Alex Rodriguez in the second home game after the Yankees won the World Series. Think about that breathtaking lack of gratitude for a second there.

After the way A-Rod carried the Yankees on his back in the postseason, A-Rod shouldn't get any boos at all. It really makes me sick that these knuckleheads root for the same team I do.

For all these years, some Yankee fans griped about how, despite two MVPs, Alex "wasn't clutch." Then, he proves himself with one of the greatest postseasons of all time, leading the Yankees to their first title since 2000. And what does he get in return? Boos in the second home game of the year.

You see, for these fans, it never really was about A-Rod being clutch, or not having a ring. It was that they just don't like the guy.


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Hardball Talk: Baseball blogger gets grilled by WFAN's Craig Carton for telling the truth about Yankee fans

I don't understand why NBC Sports' Hardball Talk blogger Craig Calcaterra is getting so much grief for writing that the Yankee fans who booed Javier Vazquez were "classless" and "ignorant." It's the truth. But that apparently wasn't good enough for Craig Carton of WFAN's Boomer and Carton Show, who ranted about Calcaterra on Thursday's program. Carton got so enraged about Calcaterra, he called him a "jackass" and insinuated that anybody who didn't agree with Carton's point of view was a Nazi sympathizer.

"I don't like it when people write columns attacking the integrity of the fan base," Carton complained, saying it was "open season on us Yankee fans," and promised to "defend New York fans to my death." Oh, please. This Yankee fan wasn't the least bit offended by what Calcaterra wrote. He didn't attack the integrity of the entire fan base; he attacked the integrity of classless and ignorant fans who booed their team's starter 14 pitches into the game. To which I would add, if you boo your own player in that situation, you're a front-running fool.

"How dare anybody tell Yankee fans" not to boo Vazquez, Carton griped, saying "Vazquez sucks, I'm gonna boo him." Only thing is, Carton could not manage to pronounce Vazquez's last name correctly. Over and over, he mispronounced his name. What's the word that's on the tip of my tongue right now? Oh, yeah, it's the word "ignorant"!

Carton said it was the fans' "God-given right to boo." Gee, I guess I missed that part of the Bible in my Catholic school classes.


The "best" part of the rant? When Boomer totally didn't agree with him, Carton compared him to somebody "sitting in France in 1942," saying  "eh, they make a good point." So yes, Carton went there and suggested that if you didn't agree with his opinion on Calcaterra 100%, you were a Nazi sympathizer. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's kind of, um, classless to make such a tasteless comparison. Good grief.

Anyhow, Calcaterra got wind that Boomer and Carton were talking about him, so he called in to the show Friday. Listen to the segment here. "You're a fraud with no journalistic integrity whatsoever," Carton said to Calcaterra, shortly before Carton hung up on him. Gee, that insult must have hurt, coming from a guy who can't pronounce Javier Vazquez's last name, and who compares disagreeing with the radio host to being a Quisling.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why booing Javier Vazquez is mind-numbingly stupid

I guess we know who will take Alex Rodriguez's place as the designated Yankee scapegoat. It's Javier Vazquez, who got booed during yesterday's home game. And I think it's just as ridiculous to boo him, as it was for Yankee fans to boo A-Rod - I've written a piece for The Faster Times griping about it.

I'm sick and tired of hearing the "I bought my ticket, I have the right to boo" excuse. Yes, you technically have the "right" to boo your own players. You also have the "right" to stand up and talk loudly on your cell phone throughout the game. But in each case, I also have the "right" to call you a tool for doing so.

Squawker readers know I didn't want Javier Vazquez as a Yankee. But as long as he's in pinstripes, I'm going to cheer for him every time he's on the mound.  It's counterproductive to boo him, especially since he appears to be sensitive to the booing.

Anyhow, please check out my full-scale rant on this for The Faster Times, and tell me what you think.

Squawker Scoop: A look at Sports Illustrated's MLB Preview issue

Hooray! It looks like neither the Yankees nor the Mets will have to worry about the dreaded Sports Illustrated jinx too much this year. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the Yankees-related and Mets-related items in SI's upcoming MLB preview issue, courtesy of the PR folks at Time Warner. Here's the scoop:

Sports Illustrated picks the Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, saying that the Phillies "have the one element they’ve been missing for a quarter of a century: a big-time winner at the front of the rotation. That would be righthander Roy Halladay, obtained from Toronto in December, whose first trip to the playoffs should end with Philadelphia clinching its second World Series championship in three years."

SI picks the Yankees to win 100 games - and the AL East - but see them losing in the ALCS to the Rays. (No Red Sox in SI's playoff scenario!) Here's the logic:

The Yankees could muscle their way back to an October rematch with the Phils, but it would require the same off-the-charts good health and production from their older players that they received last year. That means the door is open in the American League for Tampa Bay, which has the deepest collection of young, versatile talent in the game.

I agree that the Yankees had a lot of luck last year - and 15 walkoff wins - which is why I'm projecting them to win fewer games this year (my prediction for Heater Magazine was 95 games.) But I still think they'll win the World Series. At any rate, though, I'm relieved that SI didn't pick them, given the dreaded Sports Illustrated jinx! Don't believe in it? Look what happened to the Mets last year, after SI picked them to win the World Series!

In other Yankee news, the magazine lists Javier Vazquez as a player to watch, and writes:

Catcher Jorge Posada says Vazquez struggled in his first Yankees stint because a sore shoulder made his release point drop and pitches flatten. “After I left, I didn’t think I was coming back,” Vazquez says. “I really wanted to stay.”

The magazine also has a nice little piece on Alfredo Aceves, praising his pitching and saying that the "Yankees should find a bigger role for him, either setting up Mariano Rivera as a multiple-inning reliever or as the fifth starter." Gee, I hope this article doesn't somehow jinx Ace; he's one of my faves!

As for the Mets, unlike last year's audacious prediction, when SI predicted them to win the World Series, Si projects the Mets to finish in fourth place and win just 79 games. Given the way last season was such a star-crossed one for the Mets after that prediction, maybe it's just as well the Mets are ranked so low! But even I think that they'll finish above the Marlins. In SI's NL East scenario, the Mets are ahead of only the Nationals!

Daniel Murphy is SI's Met player to watch, with hitting coach Howard Johnson saying that Murphy is "going to surprise a lot of people this year with some big numbers."

Sports Illustrated also thinks the Mets should take a chance on R.A. Dickey, the knuckleball pitcher. Me, I think the Mets ought to re-sign Pedro Martinez, the pitcher some would say is a knucklehead! But that's me - Pedro returning to Flushing would immediately give me something Mets-related to squawk about every five days.


Anyhow, Sports Illustrated's MLB Preview issue will be on newsstands today, and I'm sure there will be plenty of other stuff to rehash - and squawk about - in the issue. For one thing, I'm curious to read what they say about the Red Sox, and why they're ranked in third place. I have them getting the wild card in the predictions I did for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance - more on that soon.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Javier Vazquez trade: Does NL East have mercy rule for Mets?

The only good things that have happened for the Mets this offseason are the Phillies getting rid of Cliff Lee and the Braves getting rid of Javier Vazquez. Thanks to their rivals, the Mets have at least some chance of competing in 2010.

Granted, the Phillies are still heavy favorites to win the NL East, but if they had held on to Lee, there would have been a lot of debate in NYC about making 2010 a rebuilding year.

As for the Braves, I know Squawker Lisa and many Yankee fans are outraged over the Vazquez trade, but even if Home Run Javy, as Lisa likes to call him, can't pitch in NYC, he is certainly able to pitch well in the NL East - last year with the Braves and earlier with the Expos. The Mets are much better off with Vazquez gone, especially when the only immediate return is Melky Cabrera.

The Melkman may be a fan favorite, but he would not even be starting for many teams. And it's not as if the Braves have been smart lately when it comes to acquiring outfielders - their last big outfield acquisition was Ryan Church, who has already been non-tendered.

So the Braves only have Melky and some prospects to show for dealing Vazquez and Jeff Francoeur. The best prospect, Arodys Vizcaino, just turned 19, so it will be some time before we learn whether this trade ever pays off for the Braves.

The only player left in the Twins organization from the Johan Santana deal is Deolis Guerra, who was a couple of months away from turning 19 at the time of the trade. Guerra was hot prospect then and a key to getting the trade done.

Here's what a Twins site said about Guerra last month:

The young right-hander from Venezuela has loads of potential, but is still a long way from re-discovering his status as a top prospect.

...We shouldn’t worry about when we might see Guerra in a Twins’ uniform. More important right now is that the young right-hander re-discovers himself and becomes relevant again.

The site ranked Guerra 15th out of the top 15 prospects in the Twins' organization.

Guerra is still only 20, so he may yet pan out. But you never know what you will end up getting with a teenage pitching prospect, and if that is the main price to pay for a Vazquez or a Santana, it is well worth the risk.

So thanks, Phillies, for creating at least the illusion of a pennant race by trading away Lee. And thanks, Braves, for another dubious trade.

At least there has been some good news out of Philadelphia and Atlanta. Now if only we could get some good news out of Queens.

Javier-self a lousy little Christmas, or why I don't want Javier Vazquez as a Yankee again!

The news that Javier Vazquez is putting on the pinstripes once more - he was just traded for Melky Cabrera and Mike Dunn - is literally the worst thing I've heard all day. And given that I have been stuck at Newark Airport for over five hours now, and am looking at maybe another eight to ten hours before I can get a standby flight to Austin, that is really saying something!

Yes, I'm angrier about Home Run Javy's return than I am at missing my flight to Texas this morning thanks to wretchedly slow security and baggage check. Grrrrrr.

I called Squawker Jon a little while ago to tell him about my flight debacle, and he told me the trade news. I didn't exactly take it well - I screamed "Noooooooo!" into the phone.

As I wrote on Facebook this morning, if Javier Vazquez is the answer, then I don't want to know the question.

Yes, I know Vazquez had a great 2009 with the Braves. Carl Pavano also had a very good year as well, but I don't want him back, either. The first time for both of them in pinstripes was more than enough for me.

Remember Vazquez's 5.00 ERA against the Sox in 2004, or his 9.95 ERA in the postseason against Boston? (Yes, I know that most of the 2004 roster is gone, but still.) While Javy did have a strong first half in 2004, he was so terrible in the last few months of the season that he was out of the postseason rotation. Yes, Joe Torre trusted Kevin Brown - broken hand and all - more than he did Vazquez.

And I still have nightmares about witnessing Vazquez's last performance in pinstripes in person, on October 20, 2004, when he gave up a grand slam to Johnny Damon on the very first pitch, breaking Yankee hearts everywhere, and making me weep.

A Red Sox fan/Squawker reader on Facebook asked me who I thought the Yankees should have traded for instead. I said Carlos Zambrano. He's a little wacky, but at least there's the hope he could be successful in New York. I have no such hope for Vazquez.

Brian Cashman appears to be systematically getting rid of the postseason stars/good personality guys/players able to handle New York on this team, like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and now Melky Cabrera. It's one thing to trade Cabrera and get a pitcher in return - I can understand that. I just can't understand giving Vazquez another try. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

We all know how important it is for a player to be able to handle New York. It's why Johnny Damon was worth every penny of that $52 million contract - he's a winner. Hideki Matsui hit a grand slam in his first game as a Yankee and became a fan favorite - and MVP of the World Series. Javier Vazquez, not so much.

Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew calls Javy a "baseball chameleon," noting:

It's often been said that Vazquez is a pitcher that throws best when the expectations are low and his stats do back that up. Three of his top ERA+ years came in the anonymity of Montreal and one came for the 2007 White Sox, who went 72-90. This year's ERA+ of 139 equals his career-best with the 2003 Expos, but while the Braves stuck around as a potential contender for longer than expected, they didn't occupy striking distance space for long.

Meanwhile, Vazquez's worst ERA+ years — with the exception of his first two seasons — all came with contenders: the '04 Yankees, the '05 D'Backs and the '06 and '08 White Sox.

What the heck is Cashman thinking? He offers Damon $7 million a year (as one of our readers notes, less than even Mike Cameron is getting from the Red Sox), but takes on Vazquez's $11.5 million contract? Good grief.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!